It was 1986. Ex-actor and sports play-by-play announcer Ronald Reagan was president of the United States. A gallon of gas cost 89 cents. And UK football beat Florida.

Fast forward 31 years later, ex-reality show host Donald Trump is president of the United States, gas is around $2.50 a gallon and the Wildcats are trying to end a losing streak to the Gators at an SEC record 30 straight.

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In that window of time Kentucky's had seven head coaches. Jerry Claiborne, the last to beat Florida. Plus Bill Curry, Hal Mumme, Guy Morriss, Rich Brooks, Joker Phillips and Mark Stoops. None of them have been able to do what Claiborne did in that magical year of 1986.

But it's about time for that to change. And Stoops may be just the guy to do it. There are signs everywhere. The 50-year-old is in the fifth year of his rebuilding project in Lexington. Now has all his own kids. And all of his recruiting classes have been highly ranked. When Kentucky started 2016 with two losses, the bandwagon got light in a hurry. But The Cats have won 10 of their 14 games since with quarterback Stephen Johnson as the starter, including a rare upset of archrival UofL in Louisville. The run and shoot Johnson isn't the flashiest guy on the field, but he's clearly a winner. And now that Kentucky's started 2017 with three straight wins, including two quality road wins, that bandwagon is filling up again nicely.

So all of that makes this one of the biggest games in the modern day history of the program. A Kentucky victory Saturday would give it a 4-0 start to a season for the first time since 2008, a 2-0 start in the SEC for the first time since 1977, end the streak, quiet the critics, validate the continuing traction of the rebuilding project, put UK in the conversation for its first-ever SEC East title, first-ever modern day SEC Championship in the league title game format, its first SEC title in 41 years and just its third overall. Kentucky won't be taken seriously until the streak ends.

The recipe for the success? Among many things, the run. Stoops says when teams run for 1 more yard than the opposition in the SEC, they win 80 percent of the time. When they run for 50 or more yards, they win 88 percent of the time. Through three games UK has rushed for 555 yards, its opposition 239 yards.

If Kentucky can run successfully against Florida's stout defense, and minimize the Gators ability to run, it will pull off the upset. Here's saying that will happen. Florida visits Kentucky Saturday 7:30 p.m. kickoff on SEC Network.